


Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

by CasTheButler



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Catholic!Dex, Cunnilingus, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Hoh!Farmer, Irish!Dex, M/M, Off-Screen Character Illness, PolyFrogs, Polyamory, Sexual Content, Trans!Nursey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-04 23:46:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16799449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasTheButler/pseuds/CasTheButler
Summary: As Meredith Brooks once said: "Just when you think, you got me figured outThe season's already changing"A look at Dex, Nursey, Chowder & Farmer as the year cycles through it's seasons.AKA they are in love gods damn it.





	Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [entirely_too_tall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/entirely_too_tall/gifts).



> This work was written for the Polya Epifest 2018 for entirely_too_tall.
> 
> I got a little, read very, off topic from the original prompts. I hope that I still managed to create an enjoyable piece of work. 
> 
> So without further adieu, I present to you, your fanfiction.

**Summer.**

_ “Dex put on some sunscreen you'll get burnt.” _

“I'll have you know I've never been sunburnt in my life,” Nursey looks at him quizzically.

“Like never, not even -”

“Never,” Dex insists and returns to fixing the front porch. Nursey hums unsurely, but he wanders off without another word.

It’s the very first days of summer, and they’ve decided to stay a couple of weeks so Dex can do repairs to the Haus.

Chowder comes out a couple of hours later with a freezing cold bottle of water and Dex chugs the whole thing.

“Thanks, B…,” Dex glances over at Chowder “Thanks Bro,” Dex finishes. Chowder laughs good-naturedly at him and Dex flushes, he's easily embarrassed he can't help it.

“Don't forget me and Cait have a date tonight so you and Nurse will have to entertain yourself,” The redness of Dex’s cheeks doesn’t go down. He turns back to where he's been hammering.

“I'm sure we can find something to occupy ourselves.” He mutters.

“William Poindexter!” Chowder screeches, feigning shock. Dex glares at him. Chowder sticks his tongue out, a move he’d picked up from Nursey. Dex honestly hates both of them.

“I didn’t necessarily mean that…” Dex says, Chowder squeezes his hand on Dex’s shoulder, and Dex relaxes.

“I know that,” Chowder says and Dex knows as well. Knows it’ll probably wind up being sex. The summer days make him, not horny because he never is. However, in summer, he craves physical intimacy in a way he never does in colder months. Dex pushes these thoughts out of his head and gets back to task.

☀

Cait arrives at six, the sun still high and warm in the sky. She's wearing a pink bralette and overalls that cut off above the thigh. Her tan legs seem to stretch for miles. Dex understands how Chowder and Nursey can be so wildly attracted to her even though Dex himself isn't interested in women.

“Hey doll,” she says, kissing him in the crook of his neck. Dex hands her a glass of homemade lemonade, it's Bitty’s recipe, but Nursey’s the one who'd mixed the batch. Dex informs her as to Chowder’s whereabouts. She hums, the sound low in her throat.

“Have fun,” he says as she leaves him for the wild depths of the Haus.

☀

Nursey cooks the two of them dinner while the others are out, they have free reign to the kitchen because everyone else is already away, or in the case of Ransom and Holster holing themselves up in the Volleyball house with their girlfriends - collective, not separate.

Nursey’s cooking is actually good, and it's a welcome change from takeout. It does leave Dex stuck with the dishes.

Nursey’s arms wrap around his waist and squeeze gently, Dex prays for him to lift the bottom of his shirt a little. Dex tries not to gasp as Nursey runs a thumb gently along the waistband of his jeans, the contact making his skin tingle.

“Do you want to?” Nursey asks, his voice breathy.

“Not right now, keep just doing this” Nursey does and Dex finishes the dishes.

Afterwards, Nursey pulls up the Haus’s Netflix account and casts it to the TV. The settle on a random episode of Leverage and curl around each other on the couch. Nursey’s hands are in Dex’s hair.

“I love you, Will,” Nursey murmurs softly. Dex can feel the blush creeping onto his cheeks. The house is empty and quiet and so, so warm. Dex turns around and presses his mouth against Nursey’s. It’s not a soft kiss, it’s wild and passionate. Nursey’s hands slip up the back of Dex’s shirt, and Dex moans.

“That feels…” good, good is the word he is looking for, but it won’t pass through his lips.

“Would you like to take your shirt off?” Nursey asks him softly, and Dex pulls away from him to lift the item of clothing up over his head. He tosses it on the floor and surges back to Nursey. His boyfriend has never looked so perfect. “Do you want me to touch you?” Dex nods, a little too enthusiastically maybe.

“Yes, please,” he breathes out, and then Nursey’s fingers are expertly undoing the buttons of his jeans and pushing them down. The touch of Nursey’s hand around his cock is cold, and it makes his heart race, like sneaking into a swimming pool at night. Nursey strokes him a few times, he’s squeezing a little too tightly, but Dex doesn’t mind.

“I’ve got you, I’ve got you, I’ve got you,” Nursey murmurs into his neck. Dex feels the swell of pleasure start deep inside of him and his eyes widen, he can hear himself gasping as he spills out into Nursey’s hand. Nursey wipes him with some tissues and tucks him back into his pants. There’s the cracking of thunder and Nursey smiles at him.

“Oh its a summer storm,” Nursey says. Dex huffs at him, he pretends he’s not smiling too. Dex laces their hands together and drags Nursey up off the couch.

“Let’s go watch,” Dex says.

Nursey stands with his hands wrapped tightly around Dex’s body, and it feels like they are one person as the breathe in together. Nursey’s breath tickles the back of Dex’s neck, and Dex squirms away with a huff. He gazes out the window as thunder rumbles and cracks.

“I wonder what Chris and Farmer are up to,” Nursey says, his voice soft and concerned.

“I’m sure they’re safe,” Dex tells him. Nursey lets out a hum and shrugs.

“Wanna make out some more?” he asks, and Dex headbutts him softly in the shoulder with a laugh.

☀

They hadn’t always been like this, of course, Derek ‘Nursey’ Nurse had made him so angry for so long. Made his insides bristle. Made him too hot, too hot, too hot until he was standing in 122-degree heat whenever Nursey walked in the room. He’d hated it. Nursey had begun to date Chowder, and Dex had hated that even more, had hated it - until he didn’t.

Caitlin had asked him on a date, her body pressed against his back as she leant over him.

“Wanna go on a date,” she’d said.

“I’m gay,” he’d said.

“Not that kind of date,” she’d replied, and they’d gone out for dinner and snuck into Nursey’s poetry reading. Dex still doesn’t understand the poem from that night, but he knows it was about him.

‘You are my autumn leaves,

My summer breeze.

Warm under my touch even when I’m across the room.

My love is full and wild and ancient for you.

I tremble beside you.

I worship your sun, my love, my many, my new voice.

I wait to hear you laugh, I wait to hear you at all

I’m afraid to disappear as the seasons' change, I’ll cling to the life you give.

You are my summer breeze.’

☀

Dex presses his lips to Nursey’s

“I love you, Derek,” he says, Nursey smiles into his mouth.

“I love you too William,” he replies.

“And Chris,” Dex adds.

“And Chris,” Nursey agrees, “And Cait.”

“Love Cait, she’s the best,” Dex murmurs. Nursey tackles him to the ground and kisses him senseless, before dragging him upstairs to bed.

☀

Dex feels lazy and groggy in the morning, something that is a complete rarity for him. Farmer takes the opportunity to pounce on him. Dex runs his hands absently along her sides.

“What’s the craic?” he asks.

“The boys are on an Annie’s run, don’t worry. I made sure they’ll grab your order,” she tells him. Dex nods and burrows them both into the blankets.

“Happy Birthday,” Dex says. Cait grins at him

“Thanks, man,” Dex lightly pushes his fist into her shoulder. “Birthdays always feel so weird you know?” Caitlin ponders aloud. Dex nods, birthdays are weird.

“Do you ever think maybe we just spring into existence and nobody tells us?” he questions. Cait frowns at him.

“That’s a very Derek question,” she states carefully, Dex shrugs and then smirks.

“Well yes, I guess we do rub off on each other,” he chirps. Cait almost chokes she’s laughing so hard.

☀

Dex has a double shot of espresso with a shit ton of sugar shoved into his hands.

“We’re going for a drive,” Chowder concluded, and Dex blinks at him.

“Um okay,” Dex says, moving to grab his keys. Chowder grabs a hand to stop him.

“No, we’re taking Nursey’s fancy car,” Dex groans, letting the sound drag for as long as possible. He hates Nursey’s car. It is far too expensive for something that breaks down constantly.

“Don’t be like that, Becky has been doing great lately,” Nursey huffs from where he and Cait are sitting in the kitchen.

“I still can’t believe you named that hunk of shi-,” Nursey’s hand slams against Dex’s mouth.

“Shhhhhh, she is sensitive,” Nursey hisses. Dex rolls his eyes and then flicks his tongue out childishly because he knows it will get a reaction. Nursey glares at Dex before wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Now now is that any way to act on MY birthday,” Cait says, her hands on her hips. Nursey looks a little guilty and walks over to kiss Cait softly on the mouth.

“Sorry babe,” he says, they both turn and glare with zero intensity at Dex.

“Sorry Cait,” Dex tells her sheepishly. She pokes her tongue out at him and giggles. “I’m still driving,” he tells them. Chowder wraps his arms around Dex from behind and kisses his cheek and then his neck.

“Of course you’re driving,” Chowder says

☀

Dex doesn’t complain when Nursey puts his feet up on the dashboard, no matter how fucking much he wants to, because it’s Nursey’s car. Becky is sleek and white and mostly a disaster. Dex has to admit the stereo is passable, even if it is banging out a non-stop string of Britney Spears. Cait and Chowder are singing along to Gimme More in the, and he’s pretty sure Chow’s hand is drifting up her skirt. Dex keeps his eyes on the road. He is a gentleman, and he also doesn’t want to crash the car.

“Looking good,” Nursey teases, he apparently doesn’t have the same qualms as Dex. Dex feels his face turn red. Nursey leans across the center console to kiss him on the cheek.

“You could join us,” Chowder chirps and Dex wants to groan.

“Do not join them,” he begs, just as the engine sputters out. Dex has to stop himself from banging his head into the steering wheel.

“Hey look, babe, a church,” Nursey says, and Dex looks up. He narrows his eyes as he spots the building Nursey is talking about. “Do you want to go in while we’re here? Its Sunday and everything.”

“Derek, I’m Irish Catholic,” Dex says slowly. Nursey blinks at him slowly. “That’s an Anglican Church.”

“Um, is that not Catholic?” Nursey asks. Dex takes a sharp intake of breath.

“No, it is really not.”

“You know, you’re accent gets really thick when you’re angry.” Nursey notes. Dex wants to point out that he’s not angry.

“Of course my accent is thick, I am from a completely different country. Jesus Nurse, you’re being daft,” Dex snaps.

“I mean if you think about it everyone has accents, accents are so weird,” Chowder chimes in, negotiating to peace they way he used to. Nursey and Dex turn to look at him.

“Yeah, totally, like how me and Chris are both from Cali, but we sound totally different.” Cait points out.

“This wasn’t really about accents,” Dex says, “but it’s grand. I’m just homesick.”

“I’m sorry Will. I’ll call in for the car, and we can go eat at a cafe down the street.” Derek says.

“I can fix the car.” Dex huffs.

“I know, I don’t want you to have to, we can all go and relax, and I’ll be way too over the top with the public displays of affection, and you can tell me to shove off and that my taste in food is pretentious,” Derek tells him.

“You’re taste in food is pretentious.” Chowder says.

  
  
  


**Autumn.**

_ “There are leaves stuck in your hair again,” _

Nursey brushes a hand through his hair.

“I’m really not sure how that keeps happening,” he says with a frown.

“It’s probably because you keep lying around in the grass,” Chowder chirps, lying down next to him. “Is that poetry for fun or is it an assignment?” Nursey chew at the end of his pen.

“Assignment, it is not flowing right though. I’m too restless, like a part of me needs to die and be reborn so I can,” Nursey pauses. “So I can be me again,”

“I guess,” Chowder says softly. “Is there a particular part of you, that’s, stopping you from being you?” Nursey reaches an arm out and tugs Chowder into his side so he can play with his hair.

“Nah,” Nursey says.

“Okay” Chowder replies. Nursey kisses the top of his head

“You’re so perfect, maybe I should write poetry about you instead,” Nursey tells him.

“What’s the poetry supposed to be about anyway?” Chowder asks, lying his head onto Nursey’s chest.

🍁

Nursey loves going to class, but it's coming out of his Wednesday afternoon lecture that he loves the most. Dex is waiting for him with a warm drink a piece of bitty’s pie and a scarf.

“I didn’t want you to get cold,” Dex says sheepishly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck

“This is why you’re my favourite,” Nursey says, collecting Dex into his arms and capturing his mouth with Nursey’s own. Dex squirms a little but mostly settles into the embrace.

“I think Chow and Cait might disagree there my love,” Dex chirps, he knocks their shoulders together and grabs Nursey’s hand. Dex’s hand feels warm to the touch and Nursey feels settled. Nursey leans over and kisses Dex on the cheek just to see the way his face blushes red.

“This isn’t really an appropriate place for PDA,” a middle-aged woman chides at them, and Derek feels the rebellion in him tighten at his chest.

“Why don’t ye just saunter off,” Dex is muttering under his breath when Derek grabs him into a passionate makeout session right there on the street. He means to apologize when they break apart, but Dex is too busy laughing and the woman is gone. “I love you, you madman.”

🍁

“Do you want to watch a horror movie with me?” Derek asks Cait. Cait looks over her shoulder from the video games she’s playing with March.

“Chris and Will have a date night then,” she surmises. “We’ll set up a Classic 80’s gore-fest once I beat March at this game.”

“We’re playing co-op,” March pitches in from beside Caitlin, she shifts her legs so Nursey can sit down. It’s a good half an hour until the game finishes, and Ransom joins them in that time. He leans over the couch and kisses Nursey on his forehead before kissing March on the mouth and distracting her.

They start with the original my bloody valentine, and every so often Ransom clutches on to whoever his hands land on. March laughs and pulls Ransom into her lap

They watch Carrie next which doesn’t actually fit into the 80’s theme but none of them care. Cait is asleep halfway through so they turn the movie off, and Derek carries her upstairs.

🍁

“There’s been some sort of muck up with the rooms, and I know we don’t usually put three people in a room, but I kind of figured you wouldn’t mind. Plus the bed is huge.” Lardo tells them.

  
  


“There’s one bed?” Dex squawks and Lardo looks at him over her sunglasses. Nursey wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.

“It’ll be chill,” Nursey murmurs into his ear while Chowder laughs at him. It’s their first away game of the season and even though they didn’t win Nursey is still feeling giddy with happiness. He and Dex connected so well on the ice, and the leaves on the trees are golden brown. Chowder kisses Nursey on the cheek.

“I’m not protecting you if Dex decides to murder you in your sleep.” Chowder chirps.

“I didn’t hear that,” Lardo calls over her shoulder as she walks off to sort out Ransom and Holster.

🍁

The bed is, in fact, enormous, the room has it listed as a king, but Nursey is sure its some kind of hybrid monstrosity designed to fit twenty people.

“It’s not going to fit twenty people,” Dex huffs exasperatedly when Nursey voices this opinion.

“Yeah it’d only fit like ten,” Chowder says, diving onto the bed and squirming under the covers.

“At least go and shower first,” Dex growls at him, and Chowder pokes his tongue out before rolling out of bed and rummaging through to find his pajamas.

“Come and join me,” he asks Nursey and Nursey follows him into the bathroom.

They compromise on the temperature of the water because Chowder genuinely likes cold showers and Nursey likes them so hot he can almost feel his skin burning off. The result is a comfortable lukewarm. Nursey massages shampoo into Chowder’s hair and guides his head under the water.

“Do you want me to suck you off?” Nursey asks while Chowder is leaning against his chest.

“Sure babe, if you want to I’d love that,” Chowder says, there’s a slight breathlessness to his voice and Nursey grins cheekily as he sinks to his knees. Chowder isn't the biggest guy, about average Nursey would say if he was in the habit of comparing dicks. Nursey’s lips slide easily around Chowder’s length, and he can feel his boyfriend’s hands cling to his hair almost instantly. Nursey hums pleasantly, and he can hear a gasp of pleasure from above him. He gets lost in the sensations of the warm water dripping down his back, and the warm body filling his mouth. His knees ache slightly, the tiled floor of the shower is not designed for this. Chowder strokes a thumb across Nursey’s cheek. Nursey looks up at him through his eyelashes. “Derek, I'm so close baby” Chowder whispers as though Nursey is something to be revered, as though they haven't done this a hundred times before. Nursey licks a strip along the underside of Chowder’s cock, causing the other boy to moan and shudder loudly. Nursey switches to his hand and offers up several firm tugs.

“You look so beautiful,” he says. Chowder’s cheeks flush bright red, and he comes with a groan, sinking back against the wall to steady his shaking legs.

“Wow, babe,” Chowder mutters. Nursey turns the water off and grabs both of them a towel.

“Have fun?” Dex smirks when they re-enter the bedroom.

“I did, yeah,” Nursey replies crawling over to kiss Dex’s neck.

🍁

“Can you come to church with me?” Dex asks.

“Baby, you know I,” Nursey looks over his shoulder and stops short. “Yeah, whatever you need.”

The church is vast and ornate, and Nursey can’t help but write poetry in his head about the stained glass. Chowder and Farmer have come along too, so it feels more comfortable. Dex’s knee shakes up and down, and Farmer squeezes his thigh softly. The priest begins to speak, and murmurs of the congregation follow along.

“Pater noster, qui es in cœlis;

sanctificatur nomen tuum:

Adveniat regnum tuum;

fiat voluntas tua,

sicut in cœlo, et in terra.

Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:

Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:

et ne nos inducas in tentationem:

sed libera nos a malo.” They drone and Nursey glances at Dex sideways.

“You know latin?” he asks.

“Shut up please,” Dex tells him and Nursey doesn’t argue. The service is much shorter than he expects, there also isn’t a single mention of love the sinner but not the sin. Which is nice, he supposes. Dex goes off to talk to some older ladies that Nursey doesn’t recognize.

“Is he okay?” Nursey asks Chowder.

“He hasn’t said anything to me,” Chowder answers.

“He's gotten some letters from home lately, I noticed the postmarks. I wasn't being nosy or anything. But I think…he doesn't seem thrilled by them,” Farmer says. Nursey’s eyes lock on Dex. His boyfriend smiles softly at him. ‘thank you’ Dex mouths.

🍁

“Why can't we do matching costumes?” Nursey grumbles.

“Because I can't afford a whole new outfit just for one night,” Dex says rubbing his fingers over his eyes. A sure sign he's getting stressed.

“What if I buy it for you? I know you don't like it when I spend stuff on shit you think is superfluous but this is, this is important to me okay.” Nursey says. Dex sits down at the Haus kitchen table and takes a few sips of his tea. Nursey tries not to look at him too expectantly.

“What if we can find an outfit using clothes I already own? Me and Cait can have a look after she comes back from Volleyball practice” Nursey beams and kisses Dex. “Don't go getting your hopes up” Dex mumbles

🍁

They end up as modern Disney characters. Nursey is Prince Naveen because he refuses to be anyone else. Princess and the frog is his favourite Disney movie. Chowder decides he wants to go as Prince Charming. Farmer is Anna and Dex is only mildly bullied into being Ariel because of his red hair and the shirt covered in tiny Sebastian's that Farmer found shoved into the draws in his dorm.

There's a house party because Ransom and Holster can't let Halloween pass without Shenanigans. Shitty and Jack come too of course. Shitty absconds April from Holster and twirls her around the dance floor. Holster looks mildly offended but Ransom and Lardo laugh and make jokes, so Holster cracks a wide grin and grabs Dex for their own dance.

“Having fun?” Chowder asks. Nursey takes another sip of his tub juice and smiles.

“I am.”

**Winter.**

_ “Do you even own a Jacket?” Farmer grumbles at him. _

“I mean somewhere, but it's not even cold,” Chowder replies.

“Chow, love. I know we're hockey players, but it's flipping freezing.” Dex says, tugging his coat around him tighter.

“You’re all wusses,” Chowder chirps, good-naturedly. Nursey throws his arms over Chowder’s shoulders and clings to him like a limpet, or maybe a backpack and grumbles

“You’re a menace how Bitty thinks you’re so innocent?”

“It’s my pretty, pretty eyelashes.” Chowder replies sagely. Dex lets out his signature huff of irritation through his nose.

“I hate you so much, if I turn into a popsicle it's your job to thaw me out,” he says.

“Duly noted.”

🌨

Chowder hangs himself upside down on Farmer’s bed and tries to read the cover of her book from across the room. She’s curled up with a fluffy, pink blanket her mom has sent over from California as an early Christmas present. She’s in love with it even though it keeps leaving little pieces of lint all over everything. Chowder sighs wistfully, and Farmer looks up at him, flicking her brown hair out of her eyes. She reaches for a bookmark and snaps the book shut around it.

“I thought you were studying baby?” she poses as a question. Chowder lets himself hang down a little more. His spine bends a little unnaturally, and blood starts to rush to his head.

“I got stuck, then I got bored, then I got fidgety,” Farmer shakes her head and smiles softly, before getting up, walking towards him and leaning down to kiss him. They kiss like that for a while with him hanging upside down until it starts to get kind of awkward and they have to rearrange themselves onto the bed properly.

“You’re easily distracted,” Farmer teases.

“It’s hardly my fault, you’re very distractible, uh, you make me distracted I mean. You’re cute.”

“Oh. I know I am, but do I need to text Will to come over and force you to do your coursework?” Chowder lets out a long groan and buries his face into Farmer’s side. She reaches a hand down and plays with his hair, it's starting to get longer now, and he’s decided he’s not going to cut.

“Yeah,” he says after some time. “That might be a good idea.”

🌨

“I bought you this Nutella hot chocolate from a truck parked on the other side of campus, it should still be warm,” Dex says, holding out the beverage. Chowder grabs it and takes a cautious sip. He cracks into a grin.

“This is delicious,” he exclaims loudly. Which gets him a few weird looks, he shrugs and doesn’t let his attention dwell.

“You ready for a winter wonderland of fun?” Dex asks him. The school is holding a special food extravaganza showcasing popular dishes from around the world traditionally eaten during winter months. Nursey had been the one to first see the flyer and only a monster would deny that man his food.

“Let’s roll,” Chowder says throwing his arm forward triumphantly. Dex looks down at his boyfriend’s feet and then back up at his face. Chowder frowns at him.

“Sorry, I was just honestly expecting you to be wearing your roller skates,” Dex says. Chowder taps his index finger to his lips a few times before dashing into the Haus and up the stairs.

“Don’t you go hurting yourself running up and down them stairs,” Bitty calls out to him from the kitchen, causing him to slow down just a little. He finds his skates easily, they’d been a gift from Farmer. They’re pink and purple and have small sharks with flower crowns on the sides. He hooks his fingers through the laces and practically jumps down the stairs, landing with a thud that he hopes Bitty can’t hear.

Dex is waiting patiently with a smile that could melt ice caps, which in hindsight is probably an issue, but for Chowder it makes the whole world better. He plants himself on the Haus steps to swap his shoes over. He reaches a hand up to the redhead once he’s done and Dex helps him up.

“Now! Let’s Roll!” he says, making the same hand gesture as earlier. Dex takes his hand and pulls him along down the path.

🌨

The others aren’t hard to find. Nursey sticks out in his big rainbow coloured coat he’d knitted himself during his time at Andover. He knits a lot of little things, but this is his only big project, and he likes to show it off. He’s twirling around as two girls Chowder recognises from poetry readings gush over it. Farmer spots him and Dex and waves her arm in greeting. She’s wearing a Santa hat and Chowder’s Samwell hoodie. He had wondered where it had gotten to. He'd turned it into a crop top with Shitty’s help, and it looks so good on her.

“Hi there gorgeous,” she says to him. Nursey flounces over to them, his coat flourishing out behind him. Chowder can practically feel Dex rolling his eyes. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate that he’s still clinging to after all of this time, it’s shocking still warm and gooey and being snatched out of his hands

“Hey!” he yelps, glaring at the culprit.

“Nurse don’t be a dickhead,” Dex says, reaching around to flick Nursey in the side hard enough for his defense partner to let out an offended screech.

“Cait,” he whines, drawing her name out and opening his eyes as wide as they will go in an attempt to feign innocence. “Dexy is being mean to me.”

“Don’t look at me, he’s your boyfriend,”

“Yeah well he’s your Queerplatonic Life Partner-friend,” Nursey shoots back because he’s secretly twelve, but not like, literally, because that would be weird Chowder thinks. Then, again because Nursey is a child, he sticks his tongue out and wriggles it at Farmer. The two of them share a look and then she’s chasing him off between stalls and being menaces to the rest of the population.

“So, I know Farms and Nurse are distracted, but please tell me you at least noticed Whiskey shifting that Lax Bro?” it takes Chowder a minute to understand what the hell Dex is on about. Then he sees the Tadpole in question openly groping a guy who’s name he's pretty sure is literally named Chad, and not just in an ‘all the Lax Bro’s are named Chad’ kind of way.

“Aw, good for him,” and Chowder does feel happy for him. He knows their meant to hate the Lacrosse team on principle, and some of them can be super rude like when Chowder was curled up in his onesie, and his shark plushie on the porch of the Haus trying to do his homework and these two guys acted like he was a little kid. Like its college, no one is supposed to care.

“Should I go and fine him?” Dex questions.

“Nah, let him have this,”

🌨

  
  


Chowder stretches himself out along his bed, everyone else is in classes right now, and he has the opportunity just to be alone with his thoughts, and honestly, he kind of hates it. It’s not that his thoughts are overly encompassing its that he’s can feel them cluttering around in his brain, making it hard to do things. It isn’t like on the ice. Chris has always loved the ice and snow. Something about the cold makes him feel calm. Like the universe is solid. He lifts his spine off the bed a little and feels the curve of his back. He holds the position for a while before unceremoniously flipping himself to the floor and taking up downward facing dog.

Chris likes yoga. He finds it relaxing, but he gets why people don’t like it. People want to use it to switch their brains off. He finds that it makes his mind click into place. He does his best thinking this way. The door to his home flicks upon, and he leans back, so he’s sitting on his thighs. Cait looks somewhere between exasperated, furious and bewildered

“Will and Derek are having a tiff,”

“What about?” Chowder presses gently. His girlfriend sighs and sits down next to him with her legs crossed. Their knees bump together a little bit.

“Money mostly, and secrecy I guess.” Chowder frowns, he gets that people are entitled to privacy, he wants his own. He just doesn’t like the idea of keeping things from each other.

“They always argue about money,” he points out, curling his toes underneath himself and pushing his weight back.

“Will’s Nan is sick, like really sick apparently and Derek wants to buy him tickets home, because like family is so important and well. Will didn’t take it super well,”

“Oh,”

“Yeah, oh,” Cait says. Chowder pushes his tongue into the roof of his mouth and snaps it downward again in one swift motion, he does it a few more times and then chews at his lip for good measure.

“Maybe he won’t mind if we all pitch in and it’s not just Nursey dropping,” he pauses and pulls out his phone to check how much a flight is, “uh yeah, that much, money, by himself.” Chowder rubs at his shoulder a little.

“Babe, we’ll talk to him okay. I think he’s just under a lot of stress and I just don’t think we should mention it for today.”

“I’m just worried is all. I really love him,” Chowder says.

“I know, I know you do.”

  
  


🌨

Holster drives Dex to the airport a week and a half later. He’s not going to be gone that long, but Chowder’s heart aches. He’s in a nine am class when the flight takes off, he pretends as though the plane he sees from the window is the one Dex is on. He sighs and turns his attention back to his professor.

Chowder can tell Nursey is already missing Dex as well.

“Date night?” he asks. “You, me and Cait,”

“Sounds like a party,” Nursey says.

It does end up kind of being a party because Ransom, Holster, March and April are also planning a date night, and Jack has come to visit Bitty, which means Tater is along as well because he’s got a fascination with Samwell, and also with Bits, and possibly Ransom too. Chowder is unclear on that one. Tater also asks after Dex and brings a small gift for him to be given on his return, so Jack must have mentioned something.

They call ahead to a bar and restaurant in downtown Samwell. If only to make sure they have a sit-down table and the ten of them pile into various cars after a small amount of rock paper scissoring, and in one case a bribe for Lardo so she’ll take a small amount of time away from the art project she has due in the morning. Chowder is glad he’s not the one who disturbed her because she doesn’t look super happy.

Once they get there Nursey and Tater team up against March and Jack in a round of pool. The matchups work surprisingly well. Holster, Bitty and Farmer excuse themselves to go and dance which leaves Chowder, April and Ransom to order food. They end up with a huge amount of starters and finger foods so they can all share. He takes a plate over Jalapeno poppers over to the pool table where March is busy high fiving Jack over their win.

Nursey slings an arm around their shoulder and sends a snap to Dex, he would have landed by now, but they know he’s got a bit more travelling to do. Nursey’s phone pings and there’s Dex’s grinning, but tired face with the caption

I miss you.

  
  


**Spring.**

_ “My garden blazes brightly with the rose-bush and the peach, _

_ And the koil sings above it, in the siris by the well, _

_ From the creeper-covered trellis comes the squirrel's chattering speech, _

_ And the blue jay screams and flutters where the cheery sat-bhai dwell. _

_ But the rose has lost its fragrance, and the koil's note is strange; _

_ I am sick of endless sunshine, sick of blossom-burdened bough. _

_ Give me back the leafless woodlands where the winds of Springtime range -- _

_ Give me back one day in England, for it's Spring in England now! _

_ Through the pines the gusts are booming, o'er the brown fields blowing chill, _

_ From the furrow of the ploughshare streams the fragrance of the loam, _

_ And the hawk nests on the cliffside and the jackdaw in the hill, _

_ And my heart is back in England 'mid the sights and sounds of Home. _

_ But the garland of the sacrifice this wealth of rose and peach is, _

_ Ah! koil, little koil, singing on the siris bough, _

_ In my ears the knell of exile your ceaseless bell like speech is -- _

_ Can you tell me aught of England or of Spring in England now?” Nursey quotes his voice low. _

“Have you ever even been to England?” Cait asks him.

“No, I just like the way the words sound in my mouth,”

  
  


“You like the way a lot of things sound in your mouth.” Nursey hums his agreement and leans to kiss her stomach, she’s still naked from the sex they’d had earlier, both of them still slightly sticky with sweat. “We should probably have a shower, and you should wash your strap-on,” Nursey lets out a groan and buries his face in the inside of her thigh, she pushes her hand through his hair. “Don’t be fucking lazy,”

💮

Spring is Caitlin Farmer’s favourite time of year, and maybe it’s all the flowers and the subtle warmth, maybe it’s the cute baby animals. Because she’s only human and anyone who hates cute animals is a despicable monster.

Spring means love and happiness and new beginnings. Spring is when Caitlin makes resolutions, and she’s resolved to kick Harvard ass.

It’s her turn to serve, so she positions herself on the back corner and tosses the ball in the air before spiking it across the net. The ball hits the ground right on the edge of the line. Cait holds her breath.

“It’s in” The referee calls, leaving no room for argument. She breathes out.

“Way to go Farmer!” someone yells to her left.

The game is over quickly after that, but that could just be because they manage to stay comfortably ahead. All of the girls are pissed off about the loss they’d faced last time and refuse to let it happen again.

The girls make their way to the change room. Cait showers and is changing into a sports bra that isn’t covered in sweat when April flounces over and kisses her on the cheek

“Careful your girlfriend might get jealous,” Cait says.

““If March was the jealous type I wouldn't be dating her, Ransom, however,” April teases, and kisses her again, a little showier this time. Cait shoves her away with a laugh and a soft shoulder check.

Dex is in the parking lot when she gets out, sitting in The 1995 red Chevy pickup truck him and Holster share. Farmer tosses her gym bag in the bed and raps the edges of her knuckles against the window. The man in question looks up from the video he’s watching on his phone and smiles, then he gets out and goes around the open the door for her.

“You don’t have to get the door for me,”

“I’m aware Farms, I want to.”

“Thank you, doll,” Dex flushes slightly pink for a moment.

“You played great.”

💮

Farmer pops her head through to the Haus kitchen and lets out a silent sigh of relief when she finds Bitty there.

“Hey. can you help me out with something?” Bitty turns to face her, his face a surprised little o shape

“Sure hun, what do you need?”

“I kind of had a bad day, and learning something new really helps me calm down,” Bitty is pulling mixing bowls out of the cupboard before she even fully finishes her explanation. He gently shoves an apron into her hands, and she puts it on.

“How does a classic apple pie sound to you?”

“It sounds perfect,” Farmer says. Bitty starts to flit around the kitchen and explain things as he goes and Farmer can’t help but grimace.

“Um Bitty, can you talk to me when you explain things?” Bitty pauses and looks over his shoulder at her with a guilty look on his face.

“I’m so sorry I just get so excited,” Farmer smiles at him.

“It’s okay, my hearing has just gone a little wriggly today.” wriggly is a term her and her parents came up with for when noises can be hard to concentrate on, they aren’t registering properly, or they just seem to be too quiet. She sees a specialist for it to monitor any changes. Bitty pulls out a chair for her and sits down himself with a recipe book. After flicking through it for a moment, he turns to show her.

“Now! I don’t tend to look at the recipe anymore, but I thought it would help you while you learn.” Farmer is tempted to dive over the table and hug him. She really is

💮

Chowder has his eyes closed and is listening to his headphones, so Farmer crawls along his bed and gently removes them. His eyes are soft when he opens them to look at her.

“Hello, you look beautiful,” he says. She’s not wearing anything special just an old crop top and baggy tracksuit pants. Her hair is tied messily into a bun, and she thinks she may have ink stains on her mouth from where she was sucking on her pen. She drops a kiss to the middle of his bare chest.

“You’re obligated to think that,” she teases. The lines in Chowder’s forehead furrow.

“But you are,”

“I know baby,” she tells him. “How was your day?” Chowder puts his headphones on his bedside table and rearranges them so Farmer is leaning against him and he has his arms wrapped around her front.

“It was really good, I got that assignment I was worried about back. I got a B+, and that’s better than I thought I would get,” He buries his face into the back of her neck and takes a breath. Cait doesn’t blame him her shower gel smells like honeycomb. If one of her boyfriends doesn’t have the urge to lick her, she might have to send a complaint to the manufacturer.

“I’m so proud of you,” she can feel Chowder preen against her, and she can’t help but grin. He’s a sucker for praise, but then again so is she. She flips herself around and folds her arms against his stomach. “How are you feeling?”

“In general or about something specific?” he questions.

“Well, you can eat me out. I can grab a strap-on and fuck you, or we can just lie here and cuddle.” Chowder runs a hand through her hair.

“I definitely pick option a.”

Farmer gives him a delighted smile and sucks gently at his neck. She shucks out of her pants and her underwear.

“Would you like me to lie down, or to sit on your face?” There’s a beat of silence as Chowder makes his decision.

“Lie down please,” Cait arranges herself against the pillows and lets her legs fall open so he can crawl between them. She can already feel her body tingling in anticipation. “Yeah that’s good, you’re so good,” he says, and she can feel his breath tickling along her labia.

“Get to it babe,” she demands. His first lick is only a small flick of his tongue, its cold and makes her shiver and squirm. The next one is more sure and lasts longer as Chowder swirls it around getting a taste for her. He tracks it up to her clit and teases it expertly. She grabs him by the hair gently, because she knows he doesn’t like it too rough and guides his mouth just where she wants it. He pauses only momentarily to lift his head and ask,

“Do you want fingers too?”

“Not today,” is her reply and then he’s back on task with a pleasurable amount of vigor, and it's not long before her climax is dripping on his tongue. He makes his way up her body with peppered kisses, and when he reaches her mouth, she can taste herself.

💮

“I seriously fucking hate tub juice, who’s idea was tub juice, I am going to murder tub juice.” Farmer complains and swipes Nursey’s glasses from him.

“I’ll help you murder tub juice Caity,” Dex’s voice tells her from somewhere to the left. She’s pretty sure he’s kidding and also barely hungover unlike the rest of them.

Chowder lets out a soft groan, and she watches as he curls in a little closer to Dex. Nursey pushes her gently, and they wriggle a little closer to the others until all of them are in a pile on a mattress in the middle of Chowder’s room.

“I want to watch Howl’s moving castle,” Nursey says softly.

“Later babe, right now it’s nap time.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much, 
> 
> Please feel free to comment your thoughts, or leave kudos. Also, let me know if you think I have missed something that should be tagged
> 
> x


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